Catalytic lighter fob



' April 5, 1938. E. w. VOICE 2,113,064

CATALYTIC LIGHTER FOR GAS BURNERS Filed Feb. 9, 1937 Patented Apr. 5, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CATALYTIC LIGHTER GAS BURNERS Application February 9, 1937, Serial No. 124,875 In Great Britain February 14, 1936 11 Claims.

This invention is for improvements in or relating to catalytic lighters for gas burners of the kind wherein a catalytic element is disposed in a housing having inlet and outlet openings and wherein a jet arranged for connection with the gas supply is directed into the inlet opening, whereby a stream of air-gas mixture may be passed over the catalyst.

According to this invention, a catalytic lighter for a gas burner of the kind referred to above is characterized in that the catalyst is located in an oifset portion of a passage extending between said inlet and outlet openings, which passage is arranged to cause suflicient air-gas mixture to be deflected through the oiiset portion as to heat the catalyst and eifect ignition. By offset is meant a location out of the general flow of gases through the housing between the inlet and outlet openings.

Although in certain arrangements of the kind first referred to above, after the jet becomes ignited, its flame curls upwardly away from the housing containing the catalyst element, a part of the products of combustion may fiow through the housing and in time said element may be adversely aifected. One of the objects of the present invention is to obviate or minimize that defect.

- It is found that the flow of air-gas mixture 0 passing into the housing before the burner is alight is much in excess of the flow of the hot gases passing into the housing when the burner is alight.

' A feature of the invention consists in that the 35 outlet end of said passage is choked or bailled in relation to the inlet end to an extent which will cause suilicient of the air-gas-mixture to be diverted through the offset portion to cause ignition but which will permit substantially free flow 40 of all the hot gases which may enter the housing when the burner is alight without any substantial part reaching the catalyst. It will be ap-- preciated that the choking or baiiling of the outlet end of said passage may be effected either 45 by making its cross-sectional area smaller than that of the inlet end of .the passage, or by so shaping it that it has comparatively rapid changes in direction.

According to another feature of the invention,

50 the outlet end of such passage is arranged to extend upwardly in relation to the inlet end and the offset portion is arranged to extend either upwardly or downwardly from its junction point with the main passage. Preferably, the offset 55 portion is provided with a separate outlet. In

one form of construction the junction of the offset portion with said passage is arranged be-.

low the inlet opening and the offset portion extends upwardly from the junction.

In another form of construction the offset portion, in addition to communicating with said passage, communicates with or'constitutes a downwardly-extending conduit having an outlet disposed at a lower level than the inlet opening of said passage. Thus, although the flow of air-gas mixture may be choked by the outlet end of the passage, it may fiow freely past the catalyst in a downward direction.

Yet a further feature of the invention consists in the provision of an upwardly-extending fluepassage disposed with its lower end above the path of flow of air-gas mixture between the aforesaid jet and the inlet opening of said housing. The arrangement may be such that the flame either passes up through the flue-passage or to one side thereof. In the latter case the passage serves to lead away the hot gasesin the neighbourhood of the flame and prevent them from reaching the catalyst.

A still further feature of the invention consists in providing the passage having the offset portion with an outlet nozzle directed towards the gas chamber. The outlet nozzle, for example, may communicate with said passage beneath the aforesaid choked 0r baflied outlet end.

The following is a description of a number of alternative constructions according to this invention, reference being made to the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure 1 is a vertical section through one form of construction,

Figure 2 is a side elevation looking from the I Figure 6 is a somewhat similar view to Figure- 5, showing an alternative arrangement, and

Figures '7 and 8 are perspective views of two parts'of yet another alternative form of construction, the parts shown in Figure '7 constituting an outer casing for the part shown in Figure 8 which comprises the catalyst chamber.

In the arrangements shown in Figures 1 to 4, the lighter comprises an aluminium casting III which has two upwardly-extending passages II and I2 arranged side by side, the former of which is closed at its bottom and extends for the full height of the housing. On one side of this latter passage is disposed an offset portion 9 which constitutes a chamber for a catalyst. The catalyst may comprise, as known, a pellet l3 which is supported in a framework It by thin wires 15. The framework is arranged to engage'the walls of the chamber 9 which is preferably rectangular in cross-section, as shown in Figure 3, or circular in cross-section, as shown in Figure 4. The longitudinal axis of the chamber is inclined at about 45 to said passage II and communicates through a somewhat restricted conduit IS with the bottom of the passage. The chamber is provided with a lining 6 of heat-insulating material such as asbestos. On the opposite side of said passage there is disposed the other said passage 12 which is a flue-passage and communicates at its lower end with a cross-passage H. The flue-passage is provided with a rustless steel liner I. One end of the cross-passage opens into the passage II and at the other end into the open atmosphere. A bracket arm I8 is arranged to extend out beyond said cross-passage and has secured to it a 'jet member I! comprising a tubular member which extends across the mouth of the cross-passage at a short distance therefrom and is provided with an orifice 20 directed towards said cross-passage. Both ends of the tubular member are screwthreaded. One end, which is closed, extends through a hole in the bracket arm and receives a securing nut 2| and the other end, which is open, is arranged to engage a threaded hole in a wall of the mixing chamber of the burner. The side wall 22 of the housing is arranged to abut flat against the side wall of the burner. The upper end of the passage H is provided with a perforated plug 23 formed from refractory material, the purpose of which plug is to provide a choke. An outlet opening 24 (see Figure 2) is formed in the side wall of the passage 1 I beneath said plug, which outlet opening may be provided with a nozzle 25, the outer end of which may be arranged close to the orifices in the burner tube. The general dimensions of the lighter are as follows. The dimensions of the cross-section of the rectangular catalyst chamber are half-an-inch by three-' sixteenths of an inch and its length is seveneighths of an inch. 'The restricted conduit l6 leading from the chamber to the bottom of the upwardly-extending passage is one-quarter of an inch in diameter. The lower part of the passage II is seven-sixteenths of an inch in diameter and an inch and a quarter in length. The upper part is nine-sixteenths of an inch in diameter for the greater part of its length but its mouth which receives the perforated plug is five-eighths of an inchin diameter. The lengths of these two parts are together about an inch-and-a-quarter. The cross-passage which leads into the upper portion of the passage H is about three-eighths of an inch in diameter and the size of the opening 26 into the passage is about a quarter of an inch in' diameter. The passage l2 which is a flue-passage and which extends from the top of the cross-passage is about three-eighths of an inch in diameter and seven-eighths of an inch long. The longitudinal axis of the jet member is arranged at seven-sixteenths of an inch from the mouth of the cross-passage while the mouth of the jet orifice 20 is arranged at about a quarter of an inch from the mouth of the cross-passage. The catalyst chamber may be lined with heat-insulating material such as thin sheet asbestos. It may also be advantageous to line the passage I2 with.

material such as stainless steel to prevent corrosion of the inside of this passage by the products of combustion.

In operation, after the gas burner has been turned on, a mixture of air and gas will be directed through the opening 26 into the passage I I. The combined cross-sectional area of the perforations in the plug 23 and the bore of the nozzle 25 is such as' to restrict the flow of mixture through the passage II and thus a part of the stream of the mixture is diverted through the conduit l6 and through the catalyst chamber 9. The diverted mixture, upon reaching the catalyst, causes it to become heated and thus heats the mixture. The. heated mixture rises up through the upwardly-extending catalyst chamber and, in

rising, draws in additional mixture and assists the action of the choked outlet. In the construction shown in Figure 3, the rectangular cross-section of the chamber 8 causes the gases to be brought into intimate contact with the catalyst, thus ensuring that the catalyst will become quickly heat-'1' ed by a comparatively small flow of mixture through the catalyst chamber without risk of failure. The air-gas mixture will thus become ignited and a momentary flame will issue from the nozzle 25. A momentary flame will also be projected through the opening 26 and will light back.

to the jet orifice 20. The resulting flame from the jet will curl upwardly through the flue-passage l2. A certain amount of hot gases from that flame may find its way through the opening 26 into the passage l l but the area of the outlet openings in the perforated plug will afford little or no restriction to the flow of gases which will thus be drawn up through the passage ll clear of the catalyst chamber.

In the alternative form of construction shown in Figure 5, the housing is formed from 9. rectangular block of refractory material 21 in which a T-shaped passage is arranged. The cross-passage 28 of the T is arrangedto extend from'a central location in the bottom wall 29 of the block in a direction which is inclined both to a side wall 30 and to the front wall 3| of the block, so that its upper end opens at 32 into an upper part of said side wall. The inlet passage 33 of the T may be arranged to extend from the front wall of the block parallel with the top and bottom walls thereof and is so positioned as to join the crosspassage in the neighbourhood of the middle of its length. The catalyst 34 is disposed in the lower part of said cross-passage beneath the inlet passage. In such an arrangement the block is so arranged in relation to the burner that a stream of air and gas is directed in to the end of the inlet passage. The opening 32 is restricted in relation to the inlet passage 33 and owing to the change in direction of flow of the air-gas mixture between the inlet and outlet openings a portion of the air-- gas mixture will pass through the lower end of the passage 28 and past the catalyst. The lower there is formed another passage 31 of smaller cross-sectional area than the L-shaped passage,

which second passage extends laterally to an opening in a side wall of the block. The catalyst is disposed in the upright portion of the L-shaped passage beneath both the second passage and the forwardly-extending portion of the L-shaped passage. Air-gas mixture is introduced through the opening 36.

In yet another form of construction, as shown in Figures '7 and 8, the housing may comprise a Tshaped hollow sheet-metal casing 38 arranged with a cross-branch of the T in a vertical direction. Both the cross-branch and the other limb of the T are open at their ends. The catalyst is carried by a box-like slide 40 which is arranged to be inserted through the opening at the .top of the upright cross-member of the T-shaped casing. The box-like slide has no bottom wall but has an upper wall 4! which is arranged to seal the opening at the top of the upright cross-member and it has an opening 42 in one of its side walls to register with the inlet passage 43 of the T-shaped casing. The opposite side wall is preferably provided on the inside face thereof with a projection 44 opposite said opening. The catalyst 45 is disposed in the slide beneath said projection and opening. The wall joining the aforesaid two sides is provided near the upper end thereof beneath the upper wall with an aperture Q6 which is arranged to register with a similar aperture 41 in a side wall of the T-shaped casing. With this arrangement, the inlet passage 83 of the T-shaped casing is disposed opposite a jet on the burner, the air-gas passes through this passage into the slide and a part of it is directed downwardly by said projection over said catalyst and passes out through the bottom of the slide and through the bottom of the T-shaped casing. The aperture in the upper part of the slide and casing is of such a size that it does not permit the full flow of the air-gas mixture to pass through it but is ample for passing any of the products of combustion which may enter the housing.

In any of the last three constructions referred to above, the air-gas mixture passes over the catalyst in suiiicient quantities to become ignited. As soon as the jet ignites, any products of combustion which do not clear the housing will pass out through the upper end of the first said passage and cool air may be drawn over the catalyst.

Instead of the aforementioned housing shown in Figures to 8 being formed from refractory material, it may be formed from metal and the part thereof which accommodates the catalyst may be lined with a heat-insulating material such as asbestos. Furthermore, in any of the constructions, instead of arranging for the flame which issues from the outlet opening at the top of the housing to ignite the burner, the flame issuing from the lateral inlet opening may perform that function.

The lighters are suitable for use with burners of gas fires, gas radiators, ga'scookers and other heating appliances, and in the case where a lightor is used for a burner of a gas fire having the usual mixing chamber extending across the width of the fire and having orifices along the. top of the burner, the housing may be arranged flat against the side of the mixing tube.

I claim:

1. A catalytic lighter for a gas burner comprising a .housing having an inlet opening adapted to receive a stream of air-gas mixture, a main outlet opening, a passage between the inlet and outi let openings, which passage andopenings are of a size not substantially greater than that which will permit free flow of hot gases entering the housing after ignition of the burner, and a catalyst chamber communicating with said passage and oifset from the direct path between the inlet and outlet openings whereby only a part of'the mixture reaches the catalyst chamber.

2. A catalytic lighter for a gas burner comprising a housing having an inlet opening adapted to receive a stream of air-gas mixture, a main outlet opening, a passage between the inlet and outlet openings, which passage is choked towards its outlet end and which passage and openings are of a size not substantially greater than that which will permit free flow of hot gases entering the housing after ignition ofthe burner, and a catalyst chamber communicating with said passage and offset from the direct path between the inlet and outlet openings whereby only a part of the mixture reaches the catalyst chamber.

3. A catalytic lighter for a gas burner comprising a housing having an inlet opening adapted to receive a stream of air-gas mixture, a main outlet opening disposed above said inlet opening, a passage between the inlet and outlet openings, which passage and openings are of a size not'substantially greater than that which will permit free flowof hot gases entering the housing after ignition of the burner, and a catalyst chamber communicating with said passage and extending upwardly therefrom out-of-line with the direct path between the inlet and outlet openings, whereby only a part of the mixture reaches the catalyst chamber.

4. A catalytic lighter for a gas burner comprising a housing having an inlet opening adapted to receive a stream of air-gas mixture, a main outlet opening disposed above said inlet opening, a passage between the inlet and outlet openings, which passage and openings are of a size not substantially greater than that 'which will permit free flow of hot gases entering the housing after ignition of the burner, and a catalyst chamber communicating with said passage and extending downwardly therefrom out-of-line with the direct path between the inlet and outlet openings, whereby only a part of the mixture reaches the catalyst chamber.

5. A catalytic lighter for a gas burner com prising a housing having an inlet opening adapted to receive a stream of air-gas mixture, a main outlet opening, apassage between the inlet and outlet openings which is chokedtowards the outlet end thereof, and which passage and openings are of a-size not substantially greater than that which will permit free flow of hot gases entering thehousing after ignition of the burner, and a catalyst chamber communicating with said passage and offset from the direct path between the inlet and outlet openings and having a separate outlet opening, whereby only a part extend first downwardly from the region of the inlet opening and then upwardly and is provided with a separate outlet opening at the upper end thereof, whereby only a part of the mixture flows mit free flow of hot gases entering the housing after ignition of the burner, a catalyst chamber extending downwardly from the region of the inlet opening and having an outlet at the lower 'end thereof, whereby only a part of the mixture flows through the catalyst chamber.

8. A catalytic lighter for a gas burner comprising a housing having an inlet opening, a jet adapted to direct a stream of air-gas mixture into said inlet opening, a main outlet opening, a passage between the inlet and outlet openings, which passage and openings are of a size not substantially greater than that which will permit free,

flow of hot gases entering the housing after ignition of the burner, and a catalyst chamber communicating with said passage and offset from the direct path between the inlet and outlet openings, whereby only a part of the mixture flows into the catalyst chamber.

9. A catalytic lighter for a gas burner comprising a housing having an inlet opening adapted to receive a stream of air-gas mixture, a main outlet, a passage between the inlet and outlet openings, which passage is choked at the outlet end thereof, and which passage and openings are of a size not substantially greater than that which will permit free flow of hot gases entering the housing after ignition of the burner, a catalyst chamber communicating with said passage and oflset from the direct path between the inlet and outlet openings, whereby only a part of the mixture flows into the catalyst chamber and an outlet nozzle communicating with said passage beneath the choked end thereof and directed towards said burner.

10. A catalytic lighter for a gas burner comprising a huising having an inlet opening adapted to receive a stream of air-gas mixture, a main outlet opening disposed above said inlet opening, an upwardly-extending passage between the inlet and outlet openings, which passage and openings are of a size not substantially greater than that which will permit free flow of hot gases entering the housing after ignition of the burner, a catalyst chamber communicating with said passage and oflset from the direct path between the inlet and outlet openings, whereby only a part of the mixture flows into the cata-- lyst chamber and an upwardly-extending flue passage disposed with its lower end above and on the outside of said inlet opening.

11. A catalytic lighter for a gas burner comprising a housing having an inlet opening adapted to receive a stream of air-gas mixture, a main outlet opening disposed above said inlet opening, an upwardly-extending passage between the inlet and outlet openings, which passage and openings are of'a size not substantially greater than that which will permit free flow of hot gases entering the housing after ignition of the burner, a catalyst chamber communicating with said passage and offset from the direct path between the inlet and outlet openings, whereby only a part of the mixture flows into the catalyst chamber, an upwardly-extending flue passage disposed with its lower end above and on the outside of said inlet opening and a noncorrosive lining for any of said passages and chamber.

ERNEST WALLACE VOICE. 

